Gaia Rubera

Firm Innovativeness and Its Performance Outcomes: A Meta-Analytic Review and Theoretical Integration

Drawing on the chain-of-effects model as a unifying framework, this meta-analysis indicates that firm innovativeness indirectly affects firm value through its effects on market position and financial position. In addition, the findings suggest that innovativeness has direct positive effects on financial position and firm value. Moreover, the meta-analysis provides evidence of reverse causality in the innovativeness–firm value relationship. Importantly, the results also reveal that the positive effects of firm innovativeness on market position and financial position are stronger for larger firms, for firms that invest more in advertising, for firms in high-tech industries, for innovativeness outputs and for radical innovations. Finally, the meta-analytic evidence also indicates that the relationship between innovativeness and firm value is stronger for smaller firms, for firms that invest more in advertising, for firms in low-tech industries, for innovativeness inputs, for innovativeness culture, and for radical innovations.

When the Recipe Is More Important Than the Ingredients A Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of Service Innovation Configurations

Service innovation is a primary source of competitive advantage and a research priority. However, empirical evidence about the impact of innovativeness on new service adoption is inconclusive. A plausible explanation is that service innovation has thus far been studied using new product frameworks that do not fully capture the complexity of new service assessments by customers. We propose a different, holistic framework, which posits that new service adoption does not depend on individual service attributes, but on specific configurations of such attributes. We investigate this framework in a luxury hotel service context, using qualitative comparative analysis, a set-membership technique that is new to service research and suitable for configuration analyses. Results confirm that individual service attributes have complex trade-off effects and that only specific combinations of attributes act as sufficient conditions for new service adoption. Moreover, the composition of such combinations differs according to the different coproduction requirements. Our findings contribute to managerial practice by providing new insights for improving the service-development process and the launch strategy for new services. They also augment extant service knowledge by demonstrating why interdependencies among various innovation attributes are important to consider for gaining an accurate understanding of new service adoption.

Drivers of Brand Commitment: A Cross-National Investigation

Firms increasingly employ global brand management strategies for the effective coordination of their global activities. Effective coordination requires adapting global brand management strategies to cultural nuances. This study examines the influence of culture on the impact of four key brand management elements (i.e., brand innovativeness, brand customer orientation, brand self-relevance, and social responsibility) on customer commitment to a brand. Using responses from 167 U.K. and 230 Chinese consumers, the authors empirically demonstrate that brand innovativeness and brand self-relevance have a greater effect on brand commitment in cultures that are individualist, short-term oriented, and low on power distance (i.e., the United Kingdom), while brand customer orientation and social responsibility have a greater impact on brand commitment in cultures that are collectivist, long-term oriented, and high on power distance (i.e., China). Furthermore, the findings reveal that in collectivist, long-term-oriented, and high-power-distance cultures, the four brand management activities equally contribute to brand commitment. The research informs global brand managers wanting to optimize brand positioning and strengthen customers’ brand commitment across cultures.

Doing Good and Doing Better Despite Negative Information? The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Consumer Resistance to Negative Information

Despite increased research on the various effects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the question of whether CSR is worthwhile for firms still remains to be addressed. Prior work suggests that CSR offers firms insurance-like protection against negative publicity due to greater levels of goodwill with various stakeholders. Yet, we still miss an answer to the following question: How effective, if at all, is CSR in insulating firms from scrutiny compared to other important marketing measures, such as customer orientation and service quality orientation? This study develops and empirically tests a theoretical framework that demonstrates the relative impact of CSR on consumer resistance to negative information when confronted with negative information about a firm. The results demonstrate that CSR shields firms from negative information about CSR practices but not information related to firms’ core service offerings. Managerially, the findings demonstrate that CSR may offer less of blanket insurance than assumed in previous research. Furthermore, results indicate that firms with a consumer base of experts should favor a focus on service quality orientation over CSR; conversely, when consumers are novices firms should focus on CSR for greater consumer resistance to negative information.

The many moods of inter‐organizational imitation: A critical review

The management literature is paying increasing attention to the phenomenon of imitation. However, there are several gaps in understanding what drives firms imitative behaviors. Furthermore, a fragmented array of disciplinary perspectives has investigated imitation phenomena in the past. This paper reviews the literature on imitation and offers a unifying framework to understand what theory has said about the predictors of imitative behaviors, in terms of purposes, driving forces and target. At the end of the review, two over-arching rationales for imitation seem to emerge: risk reduction and search for effectiveness. Next, the review distinguishes between what drives the general propensity for imitation of a firm and what makes a specific decision more likely to be imitated by the same firm. Implications and indications for future research are offered in the final section.

How does the application of an IT service innovation affect firm performance? A theoretical framework and empirical analysis on e-commerce

Understanding the effects of IT-related innovations on firm performance is crucial for businesses. Extant research has investigated the implications of IT innovations and provided some important findings, but the varied theoretical approaches have produced results that are often ambiguous: thus there is a need to examine the process further. We attempted to provide a systematic, theoretically informed framework for understanding the conditions that may enhance (or hinder) the potential of IT innovations in a sample of firms. Our model included business and IT resources, both internal and external, that may influence the performance of firms which have applied a pervasive IT service innovation: e-commerce. Our empirical test of the model used a research design that takes into account time-lag effects. The model explained more than half of the variance in the performance of IT innovators and offered several explanations for why some firms succeeded in implementing IT service innovations while others did not. Several theoretical and managerial implications result from these findings.

Strategic capabilities and internet resources in procurement

Purpose – This paper seeks to adopt a resource‐based approach to investigate the link between procurement capabilities, internet resources, and performance. It aims to cover two gaps in the operations management literature: the missing links between procurement capabilities and the performance of a firm, and the role of internet resources in shaping such links.Design/methodology/approach – After the identification of two key capabilities in procurement and the introduction of internet resources, the relationships with performance are empirically tested in a sample of 93 firms in the textile and clothing industry in Italy. Data were analysed using a partial least‐squares technique and main and interaction effects were investigated.Findings – First, process efficiency and process integration capabilities provide a significant (and equally important) contribution to firm performance, but there are no complementary effects between them. Second, and contrary to expectations, the internet has been found to enha...

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of New Product Strategies for Technological and Design Innovations

Although design and technological innovations are conceptually distinct and require significantly different resource investments by the firm, little is known about how differing strategies employed in relation to these new products influence changes in market share across national cultures. In this study, the authors provide insights into how technological and design product innovations and product portfolio breadth strategies influence changes in market share within 26 technological and 12 design innovations across 17 firms operating in eight European countries. The results indicate that the positive effect of design innovation on changes in market share strengthens as individualism and indulgence increase, whereas the positive relationship between technological innovations and market share is weakened as uncertainty avoidance and indulgence increase. In addition, the positive relationship between design product portfolio breadth strategies and changes in market share is strengthened as individualism and indulgence increase but is weakened as uncertainty avoidance increases, whereas the positive relationship between technological product portfolio breadth and changes in market share is strengthened as individualism increases. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.

Country-Level Performance of New Experience Products in a Global Rollout: The Moderating Effects of Economic Wealth and National Culture

International marketing manager decisions pertaining to a new experience products global rollout are critical to the products country-level performance. Extending work on the lead–lag and success-breeds-success effects, the authors examine how the country-specific factors of economic wealth and national culture influence the effects of a new experience products global rollout decisions (i.e., the time lag from initial lead country introduction to target country introduction and the number of countries in which the product was introduced before its introduction in the target country) on the products country-level performance. The authors employ hierarchical linear modeling and, from an examination of 259 unique movies gathered from 16 countries, corresponding to 2,523 total entries between 2006 and 2007, find significant interaction effects between a countrys economic wealth and national culture and time lag and target country position on the new experience products country-level performance. The authors conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications.

Launch Timing and Launch Activities Proficiency as Antecedents to New Product Performance

Accelerating time to market is widely viewed as a contributor to increased new product sales and profit performance. The new product literature also agrees that better performance of the activities related to product launch should result in improved product performance. Relatively less understood, however, is the important role played by launch timing. That is, the firm must choose the correct moment to launch the product with respect to the objectives of top management, distributors, and customers. The emerging literature on this topic suggests a complex relationship between launch timing, launch activities, and new product performance. Based on the literature on market orientation, time-to-market acceleration, launch timing, project management leadership, and cross-functional integration, we develop a conceptual model of new product performance. We empirically test the model using data from US-based product managers. We find that market orientation, cross-functional integration, and leadership style are significant antecedents to timing and speed to market as well as to launching activities proficiency, both of which lead to improved new product performance. We conclude with managerial recommendations and implications.